Aelfgifu Travels

Hi Aelf Crew,

Next up on this trip is New Orleans in Louisiana.

When I arrived at New Orleans airport, I got a bus into the centre and saw from my phone maps that it was just a 1 mile walk to the hostel. In my mind, I would never question walking this short distance – it was only 8pm, but it was dark.

I have this European mentality of walking everywhere, but what I hadn’t realised (and here I learnt very quickly) – some parts of America are not walkable. What I mean by this is there are no pavements, and what started a happy chirpy walk started to become actually quite scary. There were gangs of homeless men along the only stretch of road with any kind of pavement and I began to attract a lot of unwanted attention, to the point where I felt quite unsafe. Safe to say with one suitcase being dragged behind me and a large backpack on my shoulders, I managed to ‘walk’ that mile in under 15 minutes. Top Tip from Aelfgifu: certain parts of the US (especially areas under highways) are not designed for pedestrians. Even if it is a mile, don’t risk it and get an Uber.

Arriving very hot and sweaty to Auberge NOLA Party Hostel where I was staying, I was greeted by the very friendly owner and with a beer shoved in my hand I quickly calmed down. Compared to the hostels earlier in this trip this was a much more reasonable US$15.00 per night. That being said, this hostel was also much nicer than some of the others that I had paid over double that for. It was styled like a restored country house with a very welcoming feel.

The owner kindly helped me book a swamp tour for the very next morning of my arrival at a discounted rate. I cannot recommend this enough – it was one of the highlights of my whole trip.

Alligators swam up next to the boat, we fed wild racoons and we got to hold some enormous insects – a really fun experience.

Having made a friend from the night before – you guessed it, at the pub – we went to the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. Not something I’m particularly interested in I’ll be honest but tickets were US$10 and there was enough to amuse us for an hour.

I was told a local delicacy is a ‘beignet’ so I headed to the highly recommended Cafe Beignet. Beignets are square deep-fried pastries that are fluffy and light, dusted with powdered sugar. They came 3 per order for US$4.75 and they were huge. I would recommend sharing between 2 or more people or treating this as your main meal for one.

We wandered through voodoo-themed gift shops, LaLaurie Mansion, Jackson Square and rode a streetcar. Top Tip from Aelfgifu: a single ride on the streetcar is US$1.25 which is payable with exact change or via the RTA Le Pass app, which is very user friendly. Just make sure not to activate your ticket until the streetcar has arrived, as the pass timer starts immediately! For longer stays, you can buy ‘Jazzy Passes’ for unlimited rides for 1-day, 3-days or 7-days.

I was there mid-week so it was less busy than usual but we still managed to get some good nightlife going. We went out on Bourbon Street and had a ‘Hand Grenade’ which is a cocktail drink made with vodka, rum, gin, and melon liqueur, sold frozen or on the rocks. Highly recommend trying if you like sweet alcoholic drinks!

Tips to Learn from Aelfgifu:

• If in doubt, no amount of money can account for your safety – even if it is only a mile. Get a taxi.
• Stay aware at night – Bourbon Street is lively but can turn rowdy. Stick with your friends if you can.
• Join a ghost or voodoo walking tour for a fun evening.
• Book a swamp tour – they are worth every cent. Just make sure to have some mosquito repellent to hand!
• Try the local delicacies – whether this is pastries or alcohol – they are popular for a reason!

Was there any sights or museums I missed? Let me know in the comments!

Trumpets, tambourines, and too many cocktails,

Aelfgifu